Switch On
by thatreevesgirl
Summary: Sasuke was beginning to travel down a dangerous path; luckily for Sasuke, he had Naruto. Naruto, no matter the cost, was willing to save him. NaruSasu
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Naruto, nor do I make any money from writing this fic. All characters are the property of Kishimoto and Viz. In fact, I often wonder if Kishi and Viz own **me**. Stupid Naruto series._

_**Author's Note**: This deviates a little from the story because I wrote it before some of the more recent chapters. I hope you all like it. There will be a second chapter up later this week. And does anyone know why the stupid visual breaks aren't working? I had to add stupid "-xxx-" things in order to make visual breaks. sigh This place is frustrating at times.  
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**_-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-_**

"Slut."

It was worse, because no one in the entire bar had the balls to say it to his face, they only whispered it behind his back. Slut was the most common, but sometimes it was accompanied with other words like "whore," or hyphenated into things like "cock-slut." Sasuke hated those words, hated the implications and assumptions that came along with them.

It wasn't like these men were complaining when it was _their_ dick in Sasuke's mouth or buried deep inside of him. Then Sasuke was just a fuck, "slut," came later. If he wasn't on such a stringent probation with the village, and would be for the next three years, Sasuke would have taught those weak, asshole shinobi a thing or two with his fists.

"At least he's a tight little slut, and knows how to ride a cock like a pro," one of the greasier men in the corner of the bar cackled. Sasuke wished again that there were more gay men to choose from in this god-forsaken, quiet village, because if there were then he wouldn't have to keep crawling back to these domineering jerks who took advantage of him. Sasuke wasn't blind, and he certainly wasn't stupid. He was just extraordinarily screwed up. At least he was when it came to sex, but not necessarily in every aspect of his life. After returning home Sasuke was given a surprisingly minimal sentence for running off and becoming a missing-nin. Of course, he nearly had to sign away his life to the village in order to get such a lenient punishment.

Slamming his glass onto the bar's wooden countertop, a nonverbal warning to those talking badly about him, Sasuke remembered why he was here: to drink, to fuck, and to forget the twenty screaming brats who he was trying to teach at the academy. It had been five whole years since his return to Konoha, and freedom (so the elders called it) had its price. Sasuke spent two years in lock down, working on papers and research for the village in confined living quarters. It was almost a jail cell, but seemed more reminiscent of a tiny apartment, but with guards and locks, and under no circumstances could he leave his quarters unsupervised. He worked while his guards and the elders spent their time observing him, making sure that he was sincere in his desire to return to leaf.

Then came re-education. This consisted of a year of what could possibly be misconstrued for brainwashing, but it was just how they beat information back into Sasuke. There wasn't a single paragraph of the shinobi code of conduct that he couldn't recite word for word if asked; or better yet, the fifty or so extended volumes of study and theses on those codes. Then the elders thought that for the next five years following his education, Sasuke should be on probation, unable to leave the village. Not even war was a reasonable excuse for the great Sasuke Uchiha to be free of Konoha's walls, so he was given another task. Five years of hell. Five years of screaming brats who were proof that he was going to be a terrible father. Screw reviving his clan, there was no way he was going to spawn one of those demon children and keep it for himself. Unfortunately for Sasuke, the council wanted his bloodline limit, and badly, so they gave him the ultimatum to find a wife soon or they would choose one for him.

So really, if he was going to be forced into some arranged marriage from hell, producing as many brats as his loins could manage, couldn't the men who fucked him just shut up and let him whore it out a little bit without the unnecessary dissertation on his lax lifestyle choices? Was that really too much to ask? All these pricks had to do was screw him fast and hard and make him forget all the horrible shit life had dealt him for one measly night. Not even a night, because Sasuke had to be home in the Uchiha manor by ten in in accordance with his probation's curfew, so they only had to put up with him for a couple of hours. Sasuke would even settle for a quick bathroom stall fuck.

"Ungrateful assholes," Sasuke muttered into his drink.

He'd pondered his situation and his attitudes toward the people he slept with time and time again, so it wasn't anything new, but he began to think about them for the umpteenth time. Itachi, who he loved, murdered his entire clan, so Sasuke wasn't too keen on the love thing. It didn't hold much weight with him. Orochimaru had convinced him that by allowing a bit more than the normal student-mentor relationship between them that the snake-sannin would teach him greater jutsu to help him defeat Itachi. Sasuke got molested and lied to in that situation. The people that he trusted in Konoha…well, there were three people who made his misery a little less intolerable. They took the edge off of all the crap he was going through.

Kakashi and Naruto knew a bit about his little rendezvous to the bar he was in now. It was seedy, but its patrons hid their activities well. Sasuke decided that he would keep Kakashi and Naruto in the dark about the details that occurred behind the establishment's closed doors. His male friends had luckily kept the secret from Sakura, who would have immediately disapproved of what he was doing and tried to help or intervene. But Sasuke didn't want help. He didn't want anything more than to just let himself get plastered, ignore every feeling that he'd ever buried deep in his heart, and let more people take advantage of him. Okay, maybe Sasuke was stupid, but he wasn't naïve. He knew what he was doing every time. He knew how it hurt him, how it took pieces of his heart and ruined them forever. Perhaps, he mused, he really did want to be destroyed by this stupid village, but what recompense can really be found if some guy just uses you for sexual gratification? None, Sasuke decided bitterly.

A shinobi with a battlefield of scars littering his right cheek and a fresh, deep cut sutured up along his chin walked up to the Uchiha heir and stroked his cheek. "Looks like I'm the lucky one tonight, you prissy brat. Come suck me off in the back, and maybe, _maybe_ I'll let you ride me till you scream. You're always such a fuckin' screamer, Sasuke."

Sasuke had been with this particular man on several occasions. The prick's skills in bed were atrocious. Sasuke swore this man had two speeds of fucking; on and off. Not a good "on" either, just short, shallow thrusts which were badly timed and too quick to make Sasuke feel any kind of enjoyment during their coupling. The short of it was that this guy was horrible in bed, and sadly that was what Sasuke wanted. He didn't want to derive pleasure from the couplings he pursued, even though he often did. Too bad it was usually a sick kind of satisfaction, something that made him feel horrible for liking.

Sasuke wanted to say he'd pass, but that dark, demented side of him—the one that only came out when he was here in this bar, letting loose of all the good-intentions and mending he was trying to make—told him that a fuck was a fuck, so get down on your knees. Sasuke decided to do just that, in the bar, in front of the rest of the patrons. It wasn't the first time that he was going to give these slimeballs a chance to live out their voyeuristic fantasies, but it was a rather rare occurrence as well.

Sasuke put down his drink, hopped off his barstool, and got on his knees. It was an invitation, and it was accepted almost immediately. "That's right," the man growled harshly, "Cock-slut is gonna give us all a good show." This guy was the first person to ever say that to Sasuke's face. "Open up, whore, swallow me whole."

Sasuke cringed as the other man positioned himself and the young Uchiha closed his eyes, biting back the humiliation brewing in his stomach. It was a biting pain that tore at his heart and made his entire self ache. This is what the great Sasuke Uchiha had become. He was a dog on Konoha's leash, and he allowed himself to be abused constantly by people. He could only keep up his image and be a perfect shinobi for so long. Sasuke had to let out all the crap inside of him somehow, and he chose to do it here.

A table crashed in the back of the bar, close to the door. Before Sasuke could even open his eyes to see who was causing the commotion, the guy hovering above him with his dick hanging out of his pants toppled to the ground. "You fuckin' bastard! Don't you ever treat Sasuke like that!"

The man who had apparently started a fight in the name of Sasuke's honor was someone that the Uchiha had never seen before in his life. He had dusky, brown hair and green eyes, and the man's skin was nearly as pale as his own. Then Sasuke realized it, the guy was in henge, because he could almost taste the crackle of familiar chakra in the air. A guy in a hooded cloak was suddenly holding the henged-Naruto back, who hastily broke free and threw another punch at his target. A rustle could be heard faintly, and Sasuke recognized the coppery scent of the Kazekage's sand. It snaked around Naruto's wrists and held him back.

"Stop it," Gaara hissed to his disguised friend. He too was in henge, but Sasuke recognized the man Gaara was pretending to be. Gaara glanced over at Sasuke with fake charcoal eyes. They weren't lined in black, but they were framed by tufts of medium length, white-blond hair, and a piercing in his eyebrow. This henged-Gaara was an irregular frequenter of this establishment. Sasuke was sure it was Gaara who tipped Naruto off, and both of them had probably been spying on him for most of the night. They were the only two in the bar not talking about him behind his back, so Sasuke should have known something was up.

Naruto was calming a bit, but he still leaned down and grabbed the scarred shinobi by a handful of his grey hair, growling in disgust as he laid out a very clear warning. "None of you will ever treat my friend like that again, understand? If you do, I'll kill you."

Just as angrily as he had treated Sasuke's aggressor, Naruto turned and grabbed Sasuke up by the arm, dragging him out of the bar as quickly as he could, Gaara traveling quickly behind them.

Once outside and a few blocks away, Naruto let his henge reverse itself, blond hair and blue eyes flickering and fading back into place. Sasuke watched him silently, so Naruto took the opportunity to fully let loose his rage. "What in the fuck were you doing back there, Sasuke?"

Sasuke scoffed and shrugged away the hand that Naruto still had clasped on his upper arm. "You know what I do. You know why I went there."

"No! I knew you were gay and I even knew you went to a seedy gay bar with a bad reputation. I didn't think you let people use you!" Naruto was nearly flabbergasted at this point. "You are Sasuke-fucking-Uchiha! People don't use you like that or call you cock-slut! Shit like that doesn't happen!"

There was venom in Sasuke's eyes as Naruto yelled at and lectured him, but even the scathing look wasn't enough to shut Naruto up. For that, Sasuke would have to speak up.

"I suppose that some of us aren't as perfect as others. Maybe I like that kind of stuff," Sasuke told his friend flatly, his voice cold and unwavering.

Naruto could only stare incredulously at his former teammate and friend. No, Naruto knew better than that. Sasuke didn't like that kind of stuff, he could see it in Sasuke's dark, pained eyes. "So what…is this punishment? What Sasuke?" Naruto whispered, relaying his hand on Sasuke's arm, but this time it was gentle and reassuring.

Naruto's encouragement hurt worse than any of the men who had used him. The fact that the blond idiot had pretty much nailed Sasuke's problem right on the head troubled the Uchiha even more. Shrugging away the hand, Sasuke turned on his heel and started walking away, but Naruto's hand found purchase upon him one more time, gripping hard the white cotton of Sasuke's shirt.

"Let me go, dobe, I have to be getting home or the ANBU will be hunting down my ass when I'm not back by curfew."

Naruto quickly countered with, "Come on, Sasuke, you and I need to talk about this."

"No, I don't."

That was the end of the discussion. In a flicker Sasuke was gone and Naruto was left with Gaara in an empty alley. Naruto stood shocked for a moment, staring at the place Sasuke had been only seconds earlier. After recovering, the true blond kicked a trashcan in frustration and growled as he pounded a fist against one of the building's brick walls. The henged-blond watched silently as Naruto let loose some of his anger on inanimate objects.

"Why didn't he come to me for help?" Naruto whined to no one in particular.

The question hadn't been directed at Gaara, but he certainly could answer it. "Naruto," the kage murmured quietly, trying to placate his friend with his soft-spoken voice, "People like Sasuke…people like _me_…we don't always want help. Sometimes it feels better when you hurt."

Naruto huffed and stared at the ground. "That doesn't make any sense, Gaara."

"Not to you," the kage said as he walked away. Gaara had someone that he had to speak with before returning to Suna, someone who might need a little advice about the consequences of his self-destructive actions.

Sasuke stood and stared at his door for what seemed like forever. It was almost ten, but for the second time in his life he felt like fleeing Konoha. The first time it had been out of some pathetic need for power, but now…now it was to escape everything he had accomplished. Sasuke had killed Orochimaru, hunted down his brother and avenged his clan, and returned to Konoha to make amends. His image, in most people's eyes, was that of a person who had made a few little mistakes in his life, and had done the honorable thing and paid his debt to society. Sasuke was once again looked up to by the people of his village, and the Uchiha clan was to be reborn by him. How could Sasuke admit to all those who admired him and his strength that he was a coward? That he didn't deserve an ounce of their gratitude or respect.

"Nine-fifty-eight…almost ten," a familiar voice called from down the empty path leading into the Uchiha complex. "I think you told Naruto that you had to be inside by ten. So why is it, Sasuke, that I find you here on your own doorstep?"

Sasuke eyed Gaara cautiously. The kage had removed his henge, so it was the familiar, short, lithe frame of the redheaded sand-nin that stood before him. Gaara's eyes were back to their regular aqua shade, their luminescence almost haunting in the dusk of late evening.

"You'll have to forgive me, Kazekage-sama," Sasuke answered respectfully of the man in front of him, though it wasn't heartfelt, just more of the good-Sasuke act which he used most of the time, "I didn't expect a visitor like you at this hour."

"Who would you have expected?" Gaara asked, cocking his head to the side knowingly. There was only one person that Sasuke was prepared to see again tonight, but the hot-headed blond was strangely absent from Gaara's side.

"No one, Kazekage-sa…"

"Cut the bullshit act," Gaara growled warningly, "I don't need your mock-respect, so don't spit it in my face."

Sasuke's face was stony and unmoving until he was reprimanded by Gaara, then there was a tiny slip, and the young man's haughty nature peaked through as he squinted menacingly at the Suna leader for a split second. Gaara saw the storm brewing beneath Sasuke's surface, it was so familiar to him, because the kage was intimately acquainted with the tumultuous inner workings of someone as screwed up as Sasuke.

Gaara didn't say another word to the dark-haired young man he'd helped save tonight, instead he motioned toward the door and waited for Sasuke to open it. A long sigh drew itself from Sasuke's lips. It appeared that no matter what he did, he was resigned to this fate with Gaara and whatever he was planning. Knowing the white-blond, coal eyed, pierced alter-ego of Gaara's, Sasuke was probably in for a hard fucking. Sasuke had actually caught Gaara in the act, screwing some hapless man in the bathroom of the bar a few months back, but then again, Sasuke had caught many a men doing such things there. Normally, Sasuke would be quite pleased to have that particular blond man topping him, but knowing that Naruto was aware of everything about his hidden life made Sasuke's satisfaction bitter and his stomach churn with discontent.

Still, Sasuke obediently followed Gaara into the household's entryway, then further into the house. It was quiet and dark, and part of Sasuke reeled wildly at the idea of having Gaara press him against a wall and dominate him, despite how such thoughts also made Sasuke feel ill. Even in his unhenged form, Gaara was a beautiful man; his tranquil nature as he had aged was attractive, even to the part of Sasuke which revolted against the atrocious self-abuses that he so frequently suffered through. Long robes fluttered behind Gaara as his quick steps led him in search of Sasuke's sitting room. Sasuke's eyes watched as Gaara seated himself in one of the chairs, then pointed at another. That one was apparently where he wanted Sasuke to sit.

Sasuke's head was churning a thousand different thoughts, everything from how he wished Gaara would leave immediately, to how he wished Gaara's cock would part his pale, moist lips and sink deep into the back of his throat. His stare was fierce, and the kage took note of this as he cleared his throat and eyed Sasuke suspiciously.

"Don't dishonor him more."

Sasuke swallowed hard. "What?" was the only word which escaped in his mind's confused state.

Gaara leaned forward in his seat, his powerful, dominating gaze forcing Sasuke to look away from the harsh glare. Gaara had played this sick game that Sasuke was toying with for far longer than the Uchiha. To fuck, be fucked; use, be used; not love or be loved…it had been such a cornerstone of his existence as Gaara grasped for some kind of normalcy in life. Even with all the changes and every good deed he had done in the name of reconciliation, part of Gaara was forever damaged. It had been ingrained in him since he was a baby, so unlike the Uchiha, who was relatively new to this form of self-loathing, Gaara couldn't tear himself away from his screwed up lifestyle.

"Naruto cares about you." Gaara then repeated his earlier command, "Don't dishonor him anymore. Making yourself feel pain isn't deserved or karma or anything of that sort. You need to deal with what is hurting you, because Naruto doesn't deserve the pain you are causing him."

Sasuke was stunned, how was _any_ of this about Naruto? Did Naruto even have the right to be pained by this? And why, when Gaara told him about Naruto, did Sasuke's heart clench? Taking in a stuttering breath, shaking angrily, Sasuke grit his teeth before saying, "Fuck off."

"There's the arrogant Uchiha pride we have all grown to know," Gaara said, his voice even and quiet. "Now take that and throw it away. You think it is easy for Naruto to watch people destroy themselves? Or hurt themselves intentionally? Naruto would do anything he could to save a friend…to save someone he loved."

Sasuke's face softened, because it was well-protected, but he could tell that Gaara's words came from some knowing place. Part of Sasuke felt akin to Gaara, and the rest of him wanted to kick the ever-living crap out of the redhead from the pure essence of jealousy.

Sasuke wouldn't have that chance, because Gaara stood and walked to the doorway of the sitting room. Stopping, but not looking back, Gaara imparted one last bit of advice. "Don't become the person I am. Naruto doesn't deserve that from both of us." With those words the Kazekage was gone in a flurry of sand and Sasuke was once again alone with his thoughts.

**_-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-__-xxx-_**

Sasuke had gone to bed late. It was a warm summer night, and despite the slight breeze coming through the open window in his room, Sasuke's bed felt stifling and the air was thick and musty. He felt trapped again, because nothing seemed to free him from the pain bottling up inside. There was no outlet for it, and it was accumulating quickly in his heart. Somewhere between one and two, Sasuke closed his eyes and drifted into a dreamless slumber. At three in the morning he awoke to a creak of a floorboard, and a familiar feeling of having someone's weight sink into the bed with him. More than a few men had the privilege of being in this bed with Sasuke, but none of them stayed. Those men just came for the fucking, then they left.

It wasn't any of those people though, because there was that familiar chakra again. Naruto didn't say a word, he just laid down behind Sasuke and drew the Uchiha into his arms, holding him tightly. Sasuke tried to breath, but it was so difficult. The fact that Naruto was beside him, holding him, was becoming overwhelming for Sasuke. The reasons were many, but the main ones were that Sasuke didn't want to involve his rival...no, his best friend, in his lifestyle, nor did he want to ruin their friendship with his brokenness; but most of all, Sasuke didn't want Naruto to know.

Sasuke finally managed to take in a long breath. He could smell Naruto's familiar scent. It was warm and earthy, and a bit of sweat mingled in it. Naruto didn't ever relent from training these days. Naruto trained nearly everywhere he went. And those arms…those amazing, strong arms that were holding him so securely. It was the best and the worst feeling that Sasuke had ever experienced.

A million questions raced through Sasuke's head, but of course the only thing that decided to roll off his tongue was his commonplace, sarcastic commentary. "Your boyfriend came to see me tonight."

Sasuke could feel the puff of warm breath on his neck as Naruto replied with a quiet, "Huh?"

"Gaara," Sasuke offered, "You know, the guy you were in the gay bar with. The Kazekage."

Naruto chuckled. "Sasuke, Gaara doesn't do boyfriends. Besides, you know I'm…" and the blond let his words die off.

_Straight_? Sasuke finished for his friend in his head. Yeah, that seemed a bit suspicious seeing that Naruto was in his bedroom holding him. Sasuke tried to bite his tongue, but he felt vulnerable, and therefore went on the offensive. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

"You needed a friend, and we need to talk."

No, Sasuke didn't need any of this. He might need a good fucking, some hard liquor, and maybe a vacation from the academy, but Sasuke didn't need Naruto holding him tightly and whispering kind assurances or whatever crap the idiot had planned. Sasuke didn't do kindness, or warm and fuzzy, and he definitely didn't do cuddle-time.

"Let me go."

"Talk with me then."

Sasuke glowered at the wall in front of him, wishing that he could turn in Naruto's arms and give that look to his dumbass friend. Sasuke wouldn't do that though, because being in Naruto's arms while facing Naruto…that would be an even worse situation than the one he was already in. One arm was slung around Sasuke's waist, the other a bit higher, running along the length of Sasuke's arm. The higher arm shifted a bit, and suddenly a hand was twining with his own, Naruto's thumb gently caressing the top of Sasuke's hand. It felt so good. The tiniest gesture and Sasuke melted, especially because it was Naruto.

"Please don't," Sasuke whispered.

"Don't what?" Naruto asked, but it wasn't a question, at least it didn't sound like one. Sasuke realized quickly that Naruto knew exactly what he was doing.

"So are you here to fuck me? Because if that's the case, I don't like romance," Sasuke told his friend gruffly. Romance, love, relationships; Sasuke didn't need any of these, and he certainly didn't want to be given them by someone that he actually gave a shit about. It made it too hard to turn them away. Perhaps that was because in all honesty, he did want them. Sasuke wanted Naruto hold him, and stroke his hand, and let him know that life was going to be all right. Deep down Sasuke desired for someone to notice just how broken he was and try to fix it. That scared the Uchiha to death, so he just kept coming up with snippy things to say and sarcastic words to throw at Naruto.

Naruto stayed silent. He didn't like Sasuke's accusations, but he could see right through them too. The Uchiha's words were harsh, but Sasuke fingers were locked around his, gripping Naruto tightly like he didn't want to let go. Further, the longer they laid together, Naruto noticed how Sasuke kept pressing back against his chest, molding their bodies closely together. Sasuke wanted this, the one thing Naruto believed Sasuke to _not_ want was to be fucked and used. Naruto decided long before slipping into the bed that he would only hold and reassure Sasuke.

There was an angry sigh which escaped Sasuke, then he tried to start another argument. "So you're straight, right?"

Naruto cringed. He remembered the night a year or so ago when he'd first found out that Sasuke was gay. He'd been really disturbed by that back then, and even went as far as to call his friend a fag. Naruto wondered for a moment if all this might have been his fault. By pushing Sasuke away, perhaps the other man felt like he had no other place to turn to than that stupid bar with those fucking bastards. Naruto had since apologized for his inappropriate name-calling, but the damage was done.

"You can't be doing this and be fucking straight," Sasuke hissed.

"I am."

Naruto knew it was a lie, and he was sure Sasuke knew it too. To put it accurately, Naruto was confused.

"Then why are you here?"

"Cause…" There was no good answer Naruto could come up with. "You need me, Sasuke."

Naruto heard the soft snort that Sasuke made, which was promptly followed by a curt, "Fuck off."

Naruto's reply was to simply hold Sasuke tighter. It wasn't about being straight or gay or any of that crap. It was about Sasuke needing him and him being here. It was about Naruto's friend being in pain and someone actually giving a fuck about it. Sasuke was his best friend, and Naruto had crossed half the damn world to drag his ass home, so there was no way that he would let some stupid emotional distance separate them again.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke. If you aren't going to talk to me tonight, then just shut up and sleep."

"Fuck off!" Sasuke said louder this time. He wriggled in Naruto's arms and tried desperately to escape them. It was to no avail, Naruto was determined, and Sasuke didn't have the heart to put up a real fight. Sasuke might have appeared to be giving it his all, but if he had been, he would have been relinquished of Naruto's kind torture immediately.

"Fuck…off," Sasuke gritted out, then repeated in a mere whisper, "Fuck off."

The last thing Sasuke remembered before he drifted off to sleep was Naruto lightly kissing the back of his neck and then snuggling closer to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Only a week ago Sasuke went through what might have been the oddest intervention imaginable. It began with Sasuke visiting his normal, seedy hangouts; which was promptly interrupted by a dubious blond and an aggravating Kazekage; but ended with him falling asleep in Naruto's arms. It confused and infuriated the Uchiha. Actually, the entire situation was driving him absolutely insane.

Every night for the last week Naruto trailed Sasuke during his off hours. The blond man was henged as the mousey brunette who had rescued him from the asshole at the bar. Because he was being tailed, any time Sasuke even approached his normal hangout, he would suddenly find himself running into Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, or even other members of the rookie nine. All of them seemed rather oblivious, but he knew that they were all more than capable of acting dumb if the situation called for it. Seeing how Naruto was the heading up this little operation dubbed "ruin Sasuke's sex-life," it was a given that 'dumb' would be a prerequisite.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called from a well-lit street corner outside a tavern. She was waving at him enthusiastically. Sasuke, being Sasuke, couldn't help but glare at her as he was beckoned over. "Come drink with us, Sasuke-kun," she said sickeningly sweet, almost like how Sakura had acted in the days when they were genin.

It was that moment which Sasuke knew it was an act. Sakura had been, at most, romantically indifferent to him over the years since his return. Both of them were aware of how her crush had dwindled away into nothing. That simply meant she knew. She knew about everything, and he knew she knew. He gave her a scathing look for her attempted deception.

"I need to go home," he growled out.

It was a lie. It wasn't even seven in the evening. Sasuke could spare some time to drink a beer or two with Sakura if he wanted, but Sasuke didn't want that. He wanted to go to _his_ bar, order some whiskey, suck a cock or two, and then go home to sleep off his humiliation just to do it again tomorrow.

"Aw, that's too bad," Sakura pouted. She stuck her bottom lip out for dramatic effect, and tugged on his flak jacket. She tried to keep up the cutesy act, but it was very unnatural for her. It slipped away easily as Sakura continued.

"We all miss you, Sasuke," she said more seriously, the true worry and hurt showing on her face. "You can hang out with us if you'd like. Anytime. You're always welcome."

It was almost enough to make him sit and drink a beer with her…almost.

Sasuke walked away without another word. Naruto had an undeniable affect on him, but Sakura was also someone who could sway him if needed. He didn't want to feel guilt creeping up into his chest, and he certainly didn't want to become a social butterfly who spent his off hours cheerily drinking with buddies at some popular ninja hangout. Sasuke left Sakura standing on the corner, and started heading home.

Taking a slow route back to his house, Sasuke could feel as Naruto's chakra dissipated. It usually followed him all the way back to the Uchiha manor, but tonight it disappeared several blocks away from Sasuke's destination. Sasuke wanted to allow himself the devilish smirk which was tempting the corners of his mouth. Naruto should know better, Sasuke wasn't a person to be trusted.

Sasuke prepared to transport quickly back to his favorite masochistic bar, when he was presented with an even more troublesome person. In a sudden flicker, dark, dark eyes peered straight into Sasuke's as a person materialized in front of him. It was the same almost-black eyed and white-blond haired person who had accompanied the henged Naruto last week. The Uchiha cursed quietly under his breath, but said nothing to the striking man before him.

"Naruto has a mission. He told me to keep an eye on you," was the low, gravelly voice of the disguised Kazekage.

"Can't he just leave me the fuck alone?" Sasuke growled rhetorically, wanting no response from the fake-blond. To make his point, Sasuke turned on his heel and made haste toward the gate to his compound.

Gaara scoffed, not hiding the disrespectful sound in the least. Following behind Sasuke, he rebutted, "Naruto cares about you. You should respect that."

"I want to be left alone, _he_ should respect _that_," Sasuke spat back quietly.

There were a few people who Sasuke wasn't able to hold his temper around. Naruto was the first person on that list. Then, there was Kabuto, who Sasuke had no tolerance for during all the time he was in Sound. Finally, there was Gaara. Sasuke could be more smooth, cold, and emotionally repressed than anyone else, but some people instantly tripped his trigger. Gaara was one of them. Gaara was a powerful person and formidable opponent. Sasuke never had the chance to fully prove himself against Gaara, and never would now that the tiny, redheaded man had standing as kage in Suna.

Sasuke was irritated further when Gaara followed him into the compound, and even into the main manor. The Uchiha had enough of this babysitting routine. It was almost as bad as when he first returned to Konoha. Locking his jaw and compressing his teeth together to grind them, Sasuke gave the Kazekage a scathing glare. He made no effort to hide his disdain for his uninvited guest. Sasuke didn't care if this midget of a man was Naruto's friend, there was something so familiar and unsettling about the person standing before him that it instantly put Sasuke on alert.

It was even worse when Gaara unhenged himself. The kage might have been practically pint-sized, but bile tickled the back of the Uchiha's throat as he realized how utterly attracted he was to the little prick.

It was probably because he knew how talented Gaara was in handling other men, and Sasuke was desperately craving human contact. He hadn't indulged in his bad habit for almost a week. He hadn't gone that long without some kind of sexual encounter since he was in Sound pretending to be Orochimaru's puppet.

An uncomfortable silence crackled in the air. Sasuke watched as Gaara took a long breath in through his nose. No doubt it was meant to calm him, but the tiny pupils in Gaara's green eyes dilated into impossibly small pinpricks. They both could feel the tension, and Sasuke would put money on the fact that Gaara could smell the Uchiha's growing arousal.

Sasuke reveled in it, because it put fear in Gaara's eyes. There was only one thing that would make Naruto furious with the Kazekage, and that was if Gaara slipped up and took advantage of the person Naruto was trying to save. Sasuke wasn't exactly a nice person. If he couldn't take his grudge between himself and the Kazekage out with fists, then Sasuke had no qualms mindfucking with the redhead for a bit. A smirk grew on Sasuke's mouth, and he gave a knowing glance to Gaara as he dropped to his knees and licked his lips lewdly.

"Don't," Gaara warned, and broke eye contact with Sasuke.

"Don't what?" Sasuke asked innocently, though his voice was laced with dangerous venom. He allowed a large, gloved hand to roam downward, until he palmed his growing erection obviously for Gaara. Gaara winced. Sasuke took this as a very good sign and licked his lips once again. "I'm very good with my mouth, Kazekage-sama."

There was nothing but acid in the tempting offer Sasuke made. Gaara could hear it, and he knew it would burn him alive if he accepted. Unfortunately, Gaara was not only a creature of habit, but almost as detrimentally screwed up as Sasuke. This kind of subservient begging from the last Uchiha set him on edge. Gaara's watched with great interest as Sasuke swirled his tongue around his teeth.

"I made a promise to Naruto. I keep my promises." Gaara walked away, leaving Sasuke on his knees. Sasuke's performance had riled Gaara up, but he refused to allow himself to be tainted in Naruto's eyes. Naruto was a true friend and there were some things which outweighed opportunities to put Sasuke in his place. Gaara sneered and wandered into the same sitting room they'd had their conversation in last week.

After a few moments Sasuke rose to his feet and followed after Gaara. He didn't want to hear another chat about how Naruto cared about him, or how Sasuke should try to be a better person for Naruto, he wanted to screw with the Kazekage, literally. Gaara sunk down into a particularly plush couch, he looked utterly out of place as he sat there. Sasuke walked over and pressed his leg between Gaara's knees, intent on prying them apart so he could situate himself between them.

"Tough, isn't it?" Sasuke asked smugly. "Stay and I _will_ do this. I will break you down. Leave and I will go to my bar and get it from one of those fucking assholes. Don't you think Naruto would rather I have your cock than one of those other men's?"

There was a quiet, sinister hiss as tendrils of sand crept into Sasuke's sitting room. Though the Uchiha had managed to wedge himself between Gaara's legs, the Kazekage's sand pushed him backwards almost immediately. Gaara was losing his patience, and despite the fact that he had lost the Shukaku when he was fifteen, sometimes his reactions to certain situations were still heavily influenced by the demon Gaara had once possessed. The Kazekage tried to keep his emotions in check, but Sasuke was infuriating. He cracked his knuckles one by one as a warning, a warning that Sasuke didn't heed in the slightest.

If Gaara wouldn't allow Sasuke to touch him, then Sasuke would have to make the redhead _want_ to touch him. Lazily, Sasuke palmed the front of his pants again, but then followed it by unzipping his trousers and letting his cock spring free. Sasuke peeled off his right glove, and gave his hard arousal a couple of long strokes. A drop of precum pooled at the tip, and using his thumb, Sasuke smeared it into the prominent slit of his cock's mushroomed hood.

Gaara couldn't deny that Sasuke had a beautiful cock. It was tempting, and even his intense anger was momentarily quelled by the sight of that long, thick manhood which was presented to him. It made Gaara salivate, and worse, it made his own pants absolutely intolerable as they stretched over his own swollen manhood.

"Touch yourself," Sasuke ordered. "I can't touch you, but what's wrong with you allowing a little self-pleasure?"

Sasuke was baiting Gaara, and after a couple of very indecisive moments, Gaara crossed his arms across his chest and looked away from the masturbating Uchiha.

"Naruto means more to me that this stupid game you are playing," Gaara growled.

Sasuke didn't know why, but hearing Gaara having any kind of emotional attachment to Naruto made him livid. It started in the pit of his belly, and it burned in a horrible, gut-wrenching way. Gaara wasn't allowed to have such a strong connection with Naruto. He was just some psychopath from a village whose only similarity with Naruto was how they both housed demons inside of themselves. They didn't even have that in common any more. Other than that, the two of them were as different as night and day. Naruto might have seen Gaara as a friend, but Sasuke was sure there was no way that the Kazekage had any place in Naruto's heart. He was going to make that painfully clear to Gaara. Sasuke refused to believe Gaara and Naruto's bond was even a fraction as strong as his own with Naruto. He wanted to throw this fact in Gaara's face. Sasuke wanted to hurt Gaara with words and wound his pride. It was a cheap shot, but no one said Sasuke played fair. If he could win a battle, Sasuke would use whatever means he had to accomplish that.

"Naruto doesn't want a freak like you," Sasuke taunted.

Gaara looked a little stunned, as if he hadn't expected Sasuke to breach this line. "I wouldn't want him to desire me," Gaara told Sasuke weakly. "He deserves better."

Gaara wasn't putting up the kind of fight Sasuke wanted, so Sasuke jabbed him with words again. "He would never choose you, not over me."

"You don't want him anyway," the dark hiss of Gaara's voice threatened Sasuke. "He cares about you deeply, but you choose to hurt yourself and him. Besides," Gaara continued, a smirk more than evident on his lips now, "You aren't good enough for him either. Not like this."

Sasuke was hit again with a bitter taste in his mouth and a churning stomach. Maybe it was because there was a lot of truth in Gaara's words. It confused Sasuke. Did he want to be good enough for Naruto? Did he secretly desire something more with the man who had always been his friend and rival? How dare Gaara make him consider such preposterous things!

The only thing Sasuke wanted at that moment was to ram his fist straight through Gaara's head, but instead he settled for electrically disabling the Kazekage's sand. He was able to counteract chakra at a microscopic level. Therefore, using the advanced form of the chidori—which Sasuke perfected right before fighting the Akatsuki—he was able to strike and leave the Kazekage defenseless.

The sand plinked to the floor, and Gaara's eyes flew open so wide that Sasuke was sure that they would pop right out of his head. Sasuke sauntered up to Gaara and straddled him. His ungloved hand grabbed for the zipper of Gaara's pants. Sasuke undid the fly, and Gaara's erection was promptly removed and placed in Sasuke's fingers. Sasuke made a grab for his own arousal. Both cocks fit snugly into Sasuke's hand, and without warning, Sasuke pumped them together slowly. It made Gaara's eyes roll into the back of his head, and it also pulled a very throaty, needy moan from the kage as well.

When recovered from the pleasure Sasuke had cause him, the Kazekage realized the true nature of the situation. He wanted out of it, immediately. Gaara's hands pressed against Sasuke's chest, roughly trying to shove him away. "Stop this now!" Gaara ordered frantically.

Sasuke countered with shutting Gaara up by forcing his mouth over the Kazekage's. He didn't normally kiss, but he sought to mentally dominate Gaara in every way possible. Sasuke wanted Gaara to stop struggling and kiss back. When he did that, Sasuke would win. Unfortunately for Sasuke, not once did Gaara's mouth respond as his licked and nipped the kage's lips, or even when he thrust his tongue inside when Gaara tried to protest again. Perhaps the Kazekage wasn't a kisser either, Sasuke thought to himself.

However, there was no hiding the how hard Gaara was panting, or how hard he was as Sasuke pumped them together. Sasuke knew Gaara was denying the truth—Gaara desired him. He was about to smirk into the forced kiss when Gaara pushed weakly against his chest one more time, giving him just enough space to whisper the word, "Please…"

Sasuke, wrapped up in his sadistic little world, thought it was going to be pleading from Gaara to suck his cock, or to ride him thoroughly, both of which he was more than willing to do if Gaara admitted defeat by begging Sasuke for such things. The dark haired man backed off in order to allow Gaara to speak.

"Please, I know you don't want to hurt Naruto, and neither do I, so stop this, Sasuke," Gaara murmured quietly. His hand traveled from Sasuke's chest to his shirt sleeve. Giving Sasuke's arm a gentle squeeze, Gaara once again reiterated his, "Please," before looking up at Sasuke again.

Gaara was still putting up resistance in the name of some friend who he desperately didn't want to hurt. And if Sasuke were honest with himself, he didn't want to hurt Naruto either. Sasuke's conquest of Gaara, which had consumed him only moments earlier, now felt empty and bitter. He didn't even feel aroused any longer. Sasuke just felt sick. He tried to say something hurtful to Gaara, but couldn't. More than anything, Sasuke wanted to toss his own hatred in Gaara's face, but when he tried he was frozen. There was an impossibly horrible feeling eating at him, and he couldn't help being overwhelmed by it.

Sasuke shuffled off of Gaara and sat on the couch beside him. For the longest time neither of them moved nor said a word; both men just sat and stared off into nowhere.

"What was Naruto's mission?" Sasuke finally asked.

"An enemy rogue-nin was spotted on the village's perimeter. He was sent to take care of it. I doubt he'll be gone long." Gaara replied.

"Are you staying here till he gets back?" Sasuke asked. His eyes narrowed into annoyed slits as he waited for Gaara's response.

Gaara's brow rose slightly, and then the kage sighed, "That _is _what I promised Naruto, though you make it very difficult."

"You don't have to stay."

Gaara seemed to actually consider this, but in the end shook his head. "You know I can't leave." Gaara eyed the other man carefully, taking in the mess that was Sasuke. "What Naruto sees in you, I'll never know. I suppose we are both lucky that he doesn't give up easily on people."

Sasuke could feel his annoyance with Gaara growing again, and he wished he had his katana, or could at the very least wring the kage's neck. "Do you always talk so much?"

Gaara flexed his fingers into a fist, but then relaxed them again. "No," he replied. He was also practicing great restraint with Sasuke. It was almost a game to see which of the broken men would snap first.

A few more moments of silence, and then the Kazekage decided to insert his undesired observations into the unwanted conversation. "I watched you for a long time in that establishment. I almost didn't do anything about it. I almost took you for myself. In the end, I thought Naruto deserved to know, because he was very worried about you"

It bothered Sasuke that Gaara had been the person to inform Naruto about his screwed up little gay bar. He knew it was Gaara from the start, but hearing the admission from the Kazekage himself infuriated Sasuke.

"What right did you have to spy?" Sasuke's question was heated and he tried not to yell. He was tired of repressing himself, of pretending to be the good little Uchiha, of being a quiet and cold creature. Sasuke was raw, and if you got too near, he burned you alive. He was not the emotionless bastard most people thought him to be. He hid his idiosyncrasies well.

"You couldn't have handled me," Sasuke added to the list of insults he had given Gaara in the short time they had been in his home.

Gaara shook his head, realizing only now how childish Sasuke was acting. It might have been the result of a stunted childhood, but as someone who never even had a childhood at all, Gaara held very little sympathy for these tantrums. Still, there was something about how Sasuke didn't hide them from Gaara. Looking over at the fuming Uchiha, Gaara realized that Sasuke wore none of his normal masks. This was Sasuke. This was the wrecked man who Naruto was in love with, even if the blond refused to admit to those feelings to anyone, even himself.

Gaara rose to his feet and paced the floor quietly. The sand Sasuke had disabled was beginning to regain access and connectivity to Gaara's chakra network, so it slinked along behind the kage in broken, fluttering waves. Sasuke probably should have been furious at how it was depositing dirt everywhere, but he honestly could care less. He took comfort in Gaara's semi-absence. Sasuke tired of having the Kazekage near him, baiting him and trying to gain some kind of insight on all the ways Sasuke was emotionally scarred.

The minutes dragged on, and nothing was accomplished other than long bouts of pacing to and fro, and furtive glances from Sasuke to Gaara as the Uchiha contemplated how to kill his watchdog without Naruto knowing. Ten-o-clock rolled around, and now Sasuke was stuck in his home. The grandfather clock in his study chimed the reminder that Sasuke's house was now his prison until six in the morning. Surely, Gaara would leave now, right?

Sasuke was wrong. Gaara left the sitting room and went on the prowl, checking windows and locks. He glanced out of the windows and crossed his arms impatiently.

"Naruto's mission will probably last all night. We've had plenty security scares lately." Sasuke said. He was tired and actually wanted to get some sleep. He didn't feel comfortable going to bed with the Kazekage still lurking around his house.

That didn't dissuade Gaara from his post. "A couple of your regular visitors mentioned coming here tonight when I was at the bar earlier."

Sasuke was breaching a point beyond pissed. "Ah, so I can't even have relations in my own home? How comforting."

"I promised Naruto."

"Get your own boyfriend," Sasuke immediately snapped back.

This actually stalled Gaara in his tracks when Sasuke told him that. He knew Sasuke didn't do boyfriends, just like himself, and he was positive if he did, it wouldn't be someone as sexually tame as Naruto. Most of all, Gaara hated the way Sasuke said it. It clearly spoke of how little he thought of the Kazekage. Sasuke assumed Naruto was in the stratosphere, and Gaara could never approach being worthy of him.

"Naruto is my friend…"

The reiteration of this point was driving Sasuke batty, so he promptly interrupted, "Bullshit, you want him. You cling to him and hope someday he'll look your way. He never will. Never."

Gaara remained calm and began again quietly and as calmly as he could. "Naruto is my friend. I know my role in this, but you, Sasuke, do not." The cold black irises of Sasuke's eyes took offense to Gaara's observations, even more when Gaara asked, "Why are you still taunting me? I refuse to quarrel with you."

Sasuke hooked his fingers in the left glove that he had never removed and pulled it off slowly. "I am not taunting."

Gaara's brows rose skeptically as he tried to discern whether or not Sasuke actually believed that of himself. "You are. Where is the proud, solemn man you show the rest of this village?"

Sasuke took that to heart. Biting his lip, he glowered darkly at the other man before saying, "He is a farce. Can't you get that?"

Sasuke finally admitted his greatest fault aloud, and it was painful. The person he pretended to be was a fake, because the true Sasuke was shakable and fallible and weak, so very weak.

Gaara knew all of this before Sasuke ever admitted it aloud. He could see through the masks and walls Sasuke erected around himself. They were there for self-preservation, and were as real as the sand that protected the Kazekage. Gaara would never admit to Sasuke how he could see through all his bullshit. It was so familiar to the Kazekage. He and Sasuke traversed such similar roads. Telling the Uchiha that would only serve to infuriate him; instead, Gaara went in for the softer, yet far more fatal blow.

"Naruto has always seen the true you, Sasuke—the good and the bad."

Sasuke remained silent.

xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx

Several hours later, there was a quiet knock on Sasuke's door. Gaara had already turned away two men who had every intention of using Sasuke as their personal fucktoy for the night, but this knock was different. Gaara knew it wasn't one of those people.

Sasuke was still fuming in his sitting room, waiting for Gaara to leave when the young kage went to confirm who was at the door. Even before opening it, there was a familiar wave of warm chakra which became noticeable. Gaara would have to talk to Naruto about suppressing his chakra more thoroughly. It was dangerous, and he had no doubt that if he hadn't been there, Sasuke would have boarded up the manor in an attempt to avoid the conversation he was about to have with his long time friend.

The door creaked open, clicking and clacking as it groaned in protest. This house definitely took after its owner. It was as cranky and angry as Sasuke. When the door was finally open, Gaara was greeted with a big, cheesy smile. Naruto, in turn, was greeted with a curt goodbye.

"Whaaa? Where are you going, Gaara?" Naruto asked, his hands full of takeout ramen, and even a couple of movies.

The Kazekage shrugged and rehenged himself into his platinum-blond counterpart. "He is your charity project, Naruto, not mine."

Gaara left very hastily. It was obvious something had happened between Sasuke and Gaara. When Naruto entered the sitting room where Sasuke was, he could do nothing but stare disapprovingly at the Uchiha. "Want to explain that?"

"No." Sasuke didn't acknowledge Naruto's presence other than that one word. Nudging a takeout carton into Sasuke's hand, Naruto plopped down beside the Uchiha and began eating his ramen.

Sasuke picked at the food for a minute. When he finally looked over at Naruto, he very nearly had a conniption. "Get off my couch, idiot! You are covered in filth!"

It was true. Besides being matted with mud and sticks, there were splatterings of blood on Naruto's cheek and a shallow gash on his shoulder. "Thanks, bastard, you're so kind. You didn't even say thank you for the food." Naruto muttered to himself under his breath for a couple of seconds before adding, "Can I use your shower?"

Sasuke's cheeks flushed hotly. Whether it was out of anger or embarrassment, he wasn't sure. "Use your own damned shower, moron."

"Can't, I'm stuck here," Naruto told Sasuke before slurping up a long string of noodles out of his ramen.

Sasuke was exhausted, livid at Naruto, horny as hell, but in the end, all he could do was murmur, "Just don't make a mess in there, okay?"

"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto told his friend with a big smile. He quickly sauntered to main bath area and stripped, not even caring enough to shut the door. Naruto's manners were crass at best, worse here since he treated Sasuke's home as his home.

Naruto pulled the shower curtain shut and turned on the water full blast at an outrageously hot temperature. Sasuke's hallway was quickly engulfed in steam. Even worse, Naruto was singing some tune completely out of key at the top of his lungs. Sasuke promised himself that he would serve his friend the rest of his ramen with a side of knuckles for being so blasted irritating.

Making his way to the closest linen closet, Sasuke grabbed a towel and his first aid kit so the idiot wouldn't bleed all over his furniture. Naruto had, of course, completely forgotten to get a towel before hopping in the shower. The last thing Sasuke needed was the blond running around his house naked. Sasuke wasn't sure he could handle seeing that right now. Sasuke might have been in complete denial about his feelings for Naruto, but he didn't dispute that he was physically attracted to his friend.

As horny as Sasuke was, any man with a halfway decent body and a big cock would do. Naruto had a better than average body. The blond was toned and lithe, well proportioned, blessed with sexily defined dips outlining his hips, and even sported an attractively groomed patch of curled yellow hairs which framed an above average dick. Sasuke groaned. He was getting turned on just thinking about Naruto.

Sasuke stood tentatively outside the bathroom, clutching the towel to his chest. _Naruto…damn that idiot, damn him to hell,_ Sasuke thought. Even when the water shut off and he could hear Naruto looking for a towel, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to go in and toss him the stupid thing. He couldn't bear to see Naruto now, not this way.

"…hey, Sasuke?" Naruto tried again. "Is that for me?" He had been trying to break Sasuke out of his daydream for a bit. Naruto called Sasuke's name over and over again, getting progressively more annoyed each time. This last time he'd finally broken through.

One of Naruto's tanned hands laid claim to the fluffy, white towel, and was trying to tug it out of Sasuke's grip. Sasuke held it securely, still momentarily lost in his own head. When his mind finally returned to the situation at hand, he realized that a naked, dripping wet Naruto was trying to pry the towel from his fingers.

"Come on, bastard, I'm cold here. If it isn't for me, then I'll go get one of my own."

Sasuke let go, "No, it's for you," he whispered. Without realizing, and unable to stop himself, Sasuke drank in the image of the naked Naruto. He was so beautiful. The skin over Naruto's hard, lithe muscles was smooth and tanned. Even in the ill-lit hallway he could see the definition from all the hard work and training his friend did. Sasuke ached, he hurt and ached and wanted in so many ways, and each of them overwhelmed him.

Naruto was patting himself dry until he realized that Sasuke had followed him back into the bathroom. He stood far enough away, and held a first aid kit in his hands that it didn't seem completely inappropriate. It could have been innocent enough, just Sasuke coming to patch him up so he didn't get blood all over. Naruto might have even cracked a joke about him being a prissy bastard, if Sasuke's eyes weren't flickering over his body. Naruto winced, because catching Sasuke looking at him should have made him uncomfortable or pissed off. But he wasn't. He liked the way Sasuke's tongue absently licked his lower lips, and how the normally dark, vacant eyes shown with a spark of life. Lust, desire, whatever it was, it was encouraging, it was human.

Naruto could feel a familiar stir. A long time ago he never had this kind of reaction to Sasuke, but as they grew older it seemed more and more commonplace. As quickly as Naruto could, the towel was slung around his midsection, hiding his quickly swelling cock from Sasuke's peeping eyes.

"Do you want me to suck you off?"

This time Sasuke's voice wasn't laced in venom or sarcasm. It was straightforward and Naruto quickly realized that unlike the week before, Sasuke was completely serious about his offer.

"No," Naruto answered, turning away from Sasuke quickly. He wanted to ignore his own body's reactions, but he couldn't do that while looking into those smoldering, dark eyes. Naruto wasn't ready to make that leap yet. Whether he denied Sasuke because of his personal insecurities about being attracted to another man, or because Naruto knew this was harmful for Sasuke to engage in, wasn't clear. Naruto only knew that it wasn't something they should do…yet.

Sasuke walked up behind him. Naruto half expected the Uchiha to grope him or rip the towel away. Instead, there was only the familiar sting of a disinfectant on his wound.

"This was pretty bad, wasn't it?" Sasuke asked, wrapping gauze carefully around the small injury. He was privy to knowledge that Tsunade had added a few more seals, including one which prevented Naruto's automatic healing. It had to be a conscious effort now, complete with hand seals, to release the ability.

The fox leaked through everywhere and in every way it could. Naruto wasn't to heal himself unless it was really bad. His shoulder looked partially healed, therefore it worried Sasuke. The injury had probably been quite serious. Soon it would be nothing more than a long, thin scar. Naruto's once flawless skin was now littered with small scars, similar to most shinobi his age and rank.

It worried Sasuke that the fox was always right beneath the surface. He knew it would be impossibly difficult for him if he lost Naruto to that demon. Sasuke's hands mindlessly lingered on Naruto's skin as he considered this. Sasuke couldn't help himself when he flitted his fingers across a taught, white scar directly above Naruto's shoulder blade. It made the skin beneath Sasuke's fingers ripple and flutter in an involuntary shudder.

Naruto didn't respond at all to Sasuke, he was too busy gritting his teeth and practicing his best self-control. Sasuke wasn't doing anything wrong, so Naruto couldn't get mad. He couldn't yell at Sasuke to stop, because it might push his friend further away. Naruto didn't want that, not at all.

"Naruto…" Sasuke's voice trailed off as he closed the lid to the first aid kit. Naruto thought Sasuke would leave whatever he was going to say hanging there, but after a moment, he continued.

"Naruto, would you kiss me?"

Sasuke didn't kiss. They both knew Sasuke didn't kiss. He hated romance and detested flowery shows of affection. He didn't like love and if it didn't involve mimicking fucking with his tongue, licking, biting, or sucking cock, Sasuke didn't want to partake in anything with his mouth; but Sasuke's question was quiet and honest, perhaps even hopeful.

Naruto couldn't turn his friend down. There was no way Naruto could deny Sasuke this. The black-haired man looked directly at Naruto. There was a quiet and elusive calm in those coveted eyes of Sasuke's. It was the closest thing to whole Sasuke had seemed in a long, long time.

Moving toward Sasuke slowly and awkwardly, Naruto cupped a pale cheek and pressed his lips against Sasuke's forehead first. Then the two of them slowly moved until their lips brushed. Sasuke waited for Naruto to solidify the kiss. It was slow and methodical at first—too light and too gentle for Sasuke's preferences—until Naruto's hands fingers found purchase on Sasuke's neck and jaw, drawing his partner into his mouth and closer to his body.

For the first time, it was electrifying and real. Most of all, the feelings they shared were indescribable and new. The emotions the kiss drudged out of Sasuke and Naruto were heated and raw, needy and passionate, confusing but satisfying. It _was_ them, just like them. It was their rivalry, hatred, and love; the unspoken and spoken wrapped up in a physical motion which was so often overlooked, and Sasuke thought he hated.

Sasuke _did_ hate kissing, except when it was with Naruto, and then it was about the furthest thing from hate Sasuke could get. But along with all this pent up passion and need, there was a heavy guilt which was on Sasuke's heart.

_You aren't good enough for him either. Not like this._

Gaara's words rang out in his mind, and Sasuke wanted to pull away. It was true. He wasn't good enough for Naruto. He wanted this so badly, but at the same time Sasuke desired nothing more than to push Naruto away for good. Naruto deserved better than him. Sasuke wanted to hurt himself, he was unstable, he hated this village and its damned children and academy students, and he was weak. Sasuke was weak in all the ways Naruto was strong. These days, Naruto was very strong.

"Stop it, bastard," Naruto warned as he laid gentle kisses on Sasuke's cheek. He was holding back for Sasuke's sake, because he wanted to be anything but gentle. Naruto could sense Sasuke's indecisiveness and fear. "Stop it and just kiss me."

When Sasuke tried to move beyond kissing, Naruto hindered the attempt. Anything overtly sexual was detrimental to helping Sasuke. When Sasuke tried to stop kissing, Naruto coaxed him back into the intimate motion. They stood and kissed for a long while, until Sasuke growled into Naruto's mouth and demanded a bit of alone time in his bathroom. It was fine, because Naruto understood and needed it too.

xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx

Sasuke laid in his bed staring up at the ceiling. Naruto was in the bathroom, taking care of a little personal business. If ever Sasuke Uchiha felt mentally overloaded by his own actions, now would be that time. He had always been able to distance himself from everything else. The questions and fears that flew in and out of his own head astounded Sasuke. Honestly, he couldn't even get a full thought completed before a new one rushed in. Naruto had him frazzled, but it was such a good frazzled. Even Sasuke couldn't deny that.

"Hey," Naruto announced himself as he entered the room, wearing a pair of Sasuke's boxers and a t-shirt. "Sleepover time again?"

Sasuke scoffed, his normal sarcastic walls resurrected now after the night's tumultuous events. "Does my bedroom look like a hotel to you, idiot?"

Naruto didn't miss a beat. "Maybe the dumpy one down on the outskirts of Konoha, but even then, I think this place is shadier." Naruto plopped down on the mattress and drew Sasuke into his arms again. Sasuke didn't struggle like he had last time. He blamed it on exhaustion.

"Goodnight," Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear.

Naruto was surprised when he received a quiet, "Goodnight, Naruto," in reply.


End file.
